


Name Like Poetry

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe- Canon Divergence, Angst, Drabble, Everyone lives, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Get Together, M/M, Post-Voldemort, admitting feelings, trans Regulus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 04:50:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6597448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Potter has always loved Regulus Black.  It's not more complicated than that.  And no matter what Regulus has done, he has always forgiven him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Name Like Poetry

**Author's Note:**

> The sort of get-together bit of James and Regulus. I was in the mood for some fluff, and I'm waiting to get my flight to London so I thought I'd post this.

It started with a cigarette and a glass of whiskey. 

In a house he was convinced hated him—the people and the building. For the mark on his arm displaying his past mistakes, for the face he wore that dared to be like one of their heroes. For the family who had spent generations torturing those he was now fighting for.

He hadn’t really known.

He’d been so bloody stupid.

When James Potter, the pride of them all, really, hunkered down on the cold stone, cast a quick warming charm over them both, and offered his half-gone fag, Regulus nearly cried. Only he’d had far too many years of practise shutting it down.

Years of being tormented by Slytherins when they inevitably learnt about his gender—about his body, about how he didn’t _really_ belong. At least that’s what they all said. Years of having to face down a dark wizard before he spilt all the secrets to Albus Dumbledore and begged forgiveness for all his past transgressions.

The funny part was, James had never been like that. Sirius’ best friend, of course. And the sworn enemy of Severus Snape and all things Slytherin ever stood for. But he’d never misgendered Regulus. Never looked at him as anything other than Sirius’ little brother.

So that shared fag and that glass of warm whiskey was the start of something.

Their fingers brushed together, and Regulus caught his breath in the back of his throat as James’ liquor-husky voice spoke, his head tilted up into the sea of stars.

“I always used to fancy you.” When Regulus sucked in another breath, James laughed quietly. But not at him. “Sirius hated me for it. Most hexes I ever got was seventh year. You were prefect and I was Head Boy and I couldn’t stop watching you in the meetings. You never noticed.”

“I did,” Regulus admitted, speaking for the first time since James had come out. He tipped the glass which had miraculously refilled itself, to his lips. “I thought you were trying to think up clever hexes to use without getting caught.”

James swiped the back of his mouth, then took the last drag of the cigarette, letting the smoke fall from his nose and mouth like a bloody dragon. “You were always so beautiful. That I couldn’t have you was the worst torture, you know? You hated me.”

“I did,” Regulus admitted.

“And I loved you.” James’ laugh was a little bitter this time as he took the glass from Regulus, letting their fingers brush together. “Fuck I wanted you. I wanted to love you, save you…I don’t know.” He shook his head, bowing it so far his glasses toppled to the pavement, but he ignored them as he pinched his eyes shut with his thumb and forefinger. “Dumbledore wrote. Got the last of those Horcrux thingies. He’s dead. That’s what those are for.” He gestured off into the distance where there were fireworks in the sky. And shooting stars.

Regulus unconsciously rubbed at his forearm, then let out a startled cry when James grabbed it, shoving back his sleeve. The mark was fading. Like a scar, burnt into his skin, but no longer the ugly skull. James ran the pads of his fingers over it, then, meeting Regulus’ gaze in a slightly unfocused way, he brought the arm up, and gently trailed his lips along the soft skin.

Regulus’ breathing hitched once more, and he shifted closer, not quite daring to make a move. “James.”

“Regulus Arcturus Black. Your name sounds like fucking poetry.” James let his fingers trail down to Regulus’ wrist, then to the palm of his hand where he traced the lines there. “Do you want me to stop? I’m…a bit drunk and it seems like all these years of trying to forget you only made it worse.”

“Please,” Regulus all-but gasped. “Please don’t stop. Please.”

James didn’t. Oh he didn’t. He let his fingers run up and down Regulus’, over his arm, through his hair, drawing him closer and closer. “You never wanted me.”

“I did,” Regulus breathed, letting his head fall forward. “Fuck. Fuck, I did, so much, for so long. But I was never good enough. You know what I did, you know I…”

“I forgave you,” James said, cutting him off. “Before you did it, I forgave you. How could I not. You were so fucking beautiful and so lost and so deserving. I thought, I could save your brother, so why not you? Before all of this. Before he…” James reached out, touching the scars on Regulus’ neck. The mark of where he’d nearly been drowned by the claws of the Inferi before Kreacher broke his orders and saved him. Before House Elf magic unceremoniously dropped a nearly dead Regulus on the doorstep of James Potter and Sirius Black who barely—just barely—managed to save his life. “You saved us all, you know. No one else died. No one but him. They’re rounding up the Death Eaters now.”

“I’ll have to stand trial.”

James pinched Regulus’ chin between his fingers and thumb, turning him to lock eyes. His thumb moved after that, tracing along Regulus’ lower lip. “You will. But every member in this house is going to stand with you. They can’t touch you. You saved us all.”

“I hurt Sirius.”

“He forgave you years ago,” James whispered. His hand moved to cup Regulus’ cheek. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean it?” Regulus echoed.

“You loved me?”

Regulus felt hot tears pooling in his eyes, and his training as a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black rebelled against _feeling_ this much, but he didn’t care. Not in the middle of the night, with only the half-moon watching.

“Of course I meant it, you stupid idiot.”

“Ah, there it is,” James said, and shifted so close, Regulus could feel the warm breath on his skin. “There’s my Reggie.”

Regulus felt his heart twisting in his chest, threatening to beat straight out of his skin, shattering his ribs. “James,” he said again.

James laughed, then nuzzled Regulus’ cheek with his nose. “If you don’t kiss me,” he whispered, “I might die. And I’d forgive you but…”

He didn’t have the chance to finish that sentence because for the first time in his life, Regulus was taking something for himself. Something he loved. Something he wanted. He was cupping his hands round it, protectively. His tongue brushing soft and slow against James was the vow that he was never going to let this go. His fingers twisting in the front of James’ robes was a promise that he would never again betray who he was for the people who never really loved him. The gentle moan was the oath he was taking now that this would be forever and he didn’t care what he had to sacrifice so long as he always had James’ warm arms to come home to.

“I love you,” James whispered against his kiss-swollen lips. “Regulus, I love you. I have for so long and I’m not going to let anyone take that from me. Not even you.”

Regulus couldn’t help his laugh. “I’m all yours, Potter. I really, truly am.”

It started with a cigarette and a glass of whiskey.

It ended with a kiss.


End file.
